The present disclosure relates to a fixing device, and to an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing device. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a fixing device in which a nip pressure at a fixing nip portion can be removed, and to an image forming apparatus provided with such a fixing device.
Conventionally, image forming apparatuses are provided with a fixing device for fixing a toner image transferred to a recording medium such as a sheet or the like from an image carrying member. As fixing devices, there are known those adopting a roller fixing method provided with a heating roller and a pressing roller rotating while in contact with each other, and those adopting a belt fixing method using an endless fixing belt as a heating member. For example, a fixing device of a roller fixing method heats and presses a toner image carried on a sheet in a nip portion between a fixing roller and a pressing roller kept in pressed contact with each other, and thereby fixes the toner image on the sheet.